Rainbows (Custance)/Antinous
For works with similar titles, see Antinous.
Antinous
I Spoke of you, Antinous, with her who is my heart's delight,
The while we watched the dawn of night through veils of dusk diaphanous.
The while we watched the dawn of night through veils of dusk diaphanous.
I praised your gracious loveliness, as in cool marble it appears,
Your eyes that seem too sad for tears, your smile that is a sheathed caress.
Your eyes that seem too sad for tears, your smile that is a sheathed caress.
And I, a free-born singing child, in this dull sordid age of ours,
Cried to my friend, "Oh flower of flowers, worship him with me!" but she smiled.
Cried to my friend, "Oh flower of flowers, worship him with me!" but she smiled.
She smiled, and said with soft disdain, "His statue cannot see or hear:
If you should kneel forever, dear, he would not know, you kneel in vain."
If you should kneel forever, dear, he would not know, you kneel in vain."
Yet all night long, oh, my Desire, I watched beside you, pale and dumb;
And now the silver Dawn has come: the sky is stained with scarlet fire.
And now the silver Dawn has come: the sky is stained with scarlet fire.
The faint light widens to fair day round a white statue: the birds sing,
But you will never wake, my King, though love should kiss your lips away.
But you will never wake, my King, though love should kiss your lips away.